Interview did not take place, Minister repeats

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 34009, 25 November 1975, Page 1

Interview did not take place, Minister repeats

(N.Z. Press Association) ; WELLINGTON. | November *24. The Minister of Tourism (Mrs TirikateneSullivan) today said she regretted the Press Council’s decision to disallow her complaint against the Dunedin “Evening Star.” The Minister repeated her assertion, which was the central issue of the case, that she did not give a telephone

interview to a Dunedin] “Evening Star” reporter on! September 6. “I must re-state that 1 I stand by the facts of the mat-| ter as I know them and have] presented them, including in-] formation I provided to the; Prime Minister,” she said in] a brief statement. i Information independent of] her recollection appeared clearly to rule out the possibility that the ‘“alleged” telephone interview ever took place, said Mrs TirikateneSullivan. The Prime Minister said in Invercargill last night that he

(preferred to say nothing on| I the matter. ] The controversial interview j (concerned a row over allega-1 Itions that a Dunedin Town jHall booking for a Maori] {function had been cancelled] ■ so that the hall would be free (for a speech by the Leader] iof the Opposition (Mr Mui-1 ! doon). When the Minister denied that she had spoken to an “Evening Star” reporter, Bernard Carpinter, the newspaper published articles which led to Mrs TirikateneSullivan’s complaint. ■ Mrs Tirikatene-Sullivan

I submitted a diary to the 'Press Council which, she said, showed that she had not (spoken to any “Evening Star” reporter. I The council commented: I “The council feels it cannot [agree that these diaries establish there was no time left in |the morning for a telephone [talk with Mr Carpinter to have taken place.” The council said it was entirely satisfied that the “Evening Star” was entitled I to take the stand it did.